Inner and outer panels of a vehicle door are connected together to define a space therebetween for housing various door hardware components. Access to the hardware components for installation and repair is accommodated by the opening in the inner panel. In most instances a carrier plate covers this opening. The carrier plate must be removed from the inner panel for access to this inner space. Examples of such prior assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,350 to Bertolini et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,158 to Bertolini. The removal of the carrier plate is time consuming and labor intensive.
The automotive parts supply industry has been evolving toward the supply of not merely individual parts but the supply of modules. Modules have the advantage of providing a greater number of parts and functionality into a single module while being easier and quicker to install on an assembly line.
Door modules have been proposed which include a carrier plate having a number of hardware components. In order to render the inner space more accessible without totally disconnecting the carrier plate from the inner panel of the door, the entire carrier plate has been hingedly connected to the door panels, as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,883 to Brown et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,072 to Feige et al. The prior art hinged carrier plates are relatively large and are actually the majority of the inner panel of the door itself. The structural integrity of the door is therefore compromised. In addition, the known hinged carrier plates are labor intensive to disconnect.
In addition to the access problem with the prior art assemblies, the carrier plates must be sealed to the inner door panel to prevent moisture from gaining access to the inner space and the hardware disposed therein. Many of the prior art door modules have a disadvantage in that once the module is installed, a separate vapor barrier must be utilized in order to seal the door and maintain a relatively dry environment for the operation of the hardware components of the door.
Accordingly, there is a need for a carrier plate which can be efficiently manipulated to provide access to the interior space of the door while adequately sealing the door to prevent the ingress of moisture.